Living Free of Conficker C. Computer Worm. Love it!

Microsoft is used by a lot of people to run computer systems, and the makers of trojans, worms and other malware know it. The latest worm, Conficker C, is supposed to hit and use the Microsoft holes in their systems to get to many other computers. Mine won’t be one of them, ever!

No, I don’t have malware protection here. No, I don’t use virus protection either. But, the worms can’t get me! Theoretically I could add in all the anti-viral, bot checkers, and whatnot, but because MOST of the malware is designed for Microsoft operating systems, I don’t have to.

Here is the information on Conficker C:

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) has issued a warning about the latest version of the Conficker worm, which could potentially have infected any computers running a Microsoft operating system.

CIRA, which manages Canada’s dot-ca (.ca) domain name registry, says that the worm will force infected computers to connect randomly to about 50,000 web URLs a day beginning April 1.

But what could happen when those computers reach those websites is anyone’s guess. Files on the websites could instruct the worm to do anything from steal passwords or banking information, to delete a person’s hard drive to simply sending spam messages.

Experts say that anywhere from three to 12 million computers may be infected.

CTV’s technology expert Kris Abel said that most users with up-to-date anti-virus software should be fine and the biggest threat is towards computers that have been inactive for the last six months or so.

Davis recommended that Canadian computer users make sure their Microsoft Windows update is working and that their anti-virus software is up to date.

He said that on April 1, when the worm goes live, the average user wouldn’t notice it operating on their computer as it will run hidden.

CIRA says it is registering and isolating unregistered dot-ca domain names that are expected to be generated by the Conficker worm.

Abel says that there are tools online that will search and destroy the worm if you think your computer is infected.

What is Conficker and how does it work?
Conficker is a worm, also known as Kido or Downadup, that cropped up in November. It exploits a vulnerability in Windows that Microsoft patched in October.

Conficker.B, detected in February, added the ability to spread through network shares and via removable storage devices, like USB drives, through the AutoRun function in Windows.

Conficker.C, which surfaced earlier this month, shuts down security services, blocks computers from connecting to security Web sites, and downloads a Trojan. It also reaches out to other infected computers via peer-to-peer networking and includes a list of 50,000 different domains, of which 500 will be contacted by the infected computer on April 1 to receive updated copies or other malware or instructions. Previous Conficker variants were written to connect to 250 domains a day.

CIRA said Tuesday that it is taking a number of steps to stop the Conficker worm, also known as the Downandup worm, from using the .ca domain to perform malicious actions on behalf of those who control it.

The worm has been spreading through the internet since the fall, and a group of internet groups and businesses led by Microsoft has offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.

The latest variant of the worm, Conficker C, which was noticed in early March, is expected to launch its attack once the system date on an infected machine is on or after April 1, 2009.

At that time, copies of the malicious code on infected computers will try to generate and connect to 50,000 web URLs a day from 110 domains around the world, including .ca while trying to reach a “command and control” domain for further instructions.

“They’ll try to create a smoke screen of many, many thousands of domains that are being communicated to, among which that single or very small limited number of command and control domains will be hidden,” Holland told CBCNews.ca Tuesday.

If you are running Windows, make sure you have all your updates done! Leaving a computer without all the hundreds (if not thousands by now) of patches over patches will leave your computer open.

If you want to ensure you are keeping your computer out of this malicious loop, I suggest you install AVG

AVG Anti-Virus

It is free and did use it when I had the Windows system.

To get a firewall for your computer (yes, even when you are working on an intranet set-up) you can also get a free one from Zone Alarm

free firewall to protect your computer

I don’t need either of these, nor the patches, nor Norton products, nor any other malware products.

What I also don’t need to do is restart my computer every time I install a new program, add an update, or even change my settings. I love this! The “to complete the installation of this program (or whatever) you need to restart” annoyed the hell out of me! Add in the fact that half the time the program or whatever was not recognized the first time I did a restart and had to do it all over again, and I got severely annoyed, almost to the point of wanting to take the computer and throw it vigorously at the Microsoft buildings in Redmond, Washington.

Now I have none of this! I don’t have to pay for a “license” to run an operating system, I don’t have to constantly watch for malware hitting my computer, and I DON’T need to restart, basically, ever again!

Yeah, ok, your patience is running low here. Why am I free of all this? Simple, free, and believe it or not, I am using the same thing that Windows programmers are using for beta development! Linux, or in my case, Ubuntu, is the FREE operating system that never, ever, needs to restart when I install something.

I can do any word processing, use Firefox for browsing, install Google Earth, use and install Flash, as well as a ton of eye candy and other goodies!

Best of all, there are NO worms, NO trojans, NO malware that can hit me, and they PAY to ship the disks too! Or, if I somehow mess up, I can just download it free too.Or, as I did before I changed computers, run the system right off the disk and not even feel any strain on your own computer.

Ubuntu, the totally free and up-to-date operating system you can use on virtually all computers

When did I become aware of the Ubuntu? After I got a TROJAN from a chat room, of all places. I ended up damn near losing the computer and my mind trying to get rid of that. I also got damn tired of having my Windows stutter, refuse to acknowledge it’s own updates, and generally make my life miserable.

The computer I am using now can use the free operating system, and, if I choose to, virtualize Windows.

Freedom!